a guide to achieving sustainable transportation

• What is Sustainable Transportation?
• Why Sustainable Transportation Matters
• Examples of Sustainable Transport
• How to Make Transport More Sustainable?
• The Impact Sustainable Transportation Has on Society
• Economic Impact of Sustainable Transportation
• Disadvantages of Sustainable Transportation
• Solutions in Sustainable Transportation
• How Logistics Operators Can Drive Sustainable Transport
• Joloda Hydraroll's Commitment to Sustainability
• Sustainable Automated Loading Systems
• The Benefits of Sustainable Logistics
• How Automated Loading Solutions Reduce Forklift Usage
• Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

‘Sustainable transportation’ refers to modes of transportation that have a low impact on the environment. You’ll often see the term ‘green transportation’ too. Where possible, this type of transportation tends to use renewable energy, rather than coal or other fossil fuels that can harm the Earth.

Not all forms of transportation have to use an energy source to be sustainable, however, Cycling is one environmentally-friendly form of transportation that doesn’t require any energy other than that of the human using the bicycle.

Reflect on the balance between humans, transport and the environment

Sustainable transportation entails a healthy balance between humans, transportation and natural systems. To make transportation sustainable, city roads and streets must become accessible to everyone. Naturally, consideration should also be directed towards the environment, which should always remain as close to how it is without transportation or urban structures as possible (or at least experience minimal impact).

Develop a framework to guide implementation and updates

Three guiding elements sit at the core of sustainable transport: economic, environmental and social considerations. This trio should form the basis of a framework to plan, implement and maintain a sustainable system:

• economic: making the cost of transportation affordable for everyone, including residents who have a lower income;
• social: the development of safe, secure and accessible mobility choices for people, regardless of their gender, age or physical abilities;
• environmental: creating solutions that decrease emissions and pollution, and protect the environment.

Managing congestion is a crucial part of implementing policies for sustainable transportation infrastructure. Charges can bring congestion down to more efficient levels. The question is whether users will accept charges. The cost of running such a scheme must also be considered. These charges can have bigger financial impacts when it comes to planning where to place crucial business facilities, such as between warehouses and factories.

Investment in High-Speed Rail

Investment in high-speed rail transport is likely to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions and can compete strongly with transportation by car, especially where traffic is dense enough, which is for journeys up to around 1,000 km, such as between major centres of population.

As well as the cost of construction of a high-speed railway line, however, is the issue of the level of impact. The reduction could only be small, and it may take some decades for the existence of the line to compensate for the emissions construction itself has generated.

Sustainable transport creates fewer bottlenecks because there are fewer private and commercial vehicles, such as trucks and cars on the road. Even in more metropolitan locations, people can reach their destinations faster. More open roads and areas will also help to conserve the natural ecosystem better.

Investing in sustainable transportation is expensive at the start, in the long run, it can transform into savings for the economy and for the citizens. Building roads, creating the right infrastructure for transport systems and buying buses all cost money. Maintaining roads, however, can cost more than maintaining systems.

Employers and Sustainable Transportation

Employers who encourage employees to use sustainable transportation can reap a range of benefits from doing so. These include:

• increased productivity;
• lower turnover rates and less absenteeism: the commute and lack of availability of public transport can persuade employees not to come to work;
• lower fuel costs;
• a safer working environment: employers should promote the use of sustainable transportation because it can make the workplace safer, and ultimately, it helps to improve the business’s bottom line.

In some developing countries, for instance, the roads aren’t suitable for pedestrians or for cycling. This is a major challenge and will take massive investment if sustainable transportation is going to become a more common part of life there or anywhere else that faces the same challenges.

Then there’s the fact that some cities are perfectly equipped infrastructurally for electric scooters and some other forms of green transportation, whereas more remote areas are not. This is another issue to address when considering sustainable transportation.

Public transportation is generally safer, but some other forms of sustainable transportation, such as carpooling, entail sharing a privately owned vehicle. Driving into a city like in a truck, let alone a private vehicle creates more of a safety risk as there is more potential for accidents. A mode of transport can be sustainable, but that doesn’t always make it safe.

Not Always Affordable

Although bikes have become more affordable, not everyone may have the money to use green transportation. They might not have the money, for instance, to buy an electric car. Failing that, they may live long distances from wherever they need to be to cycle or walk.

Recent reports, such as The Future of Public Transport Funding (June, 2024), from The International Transport Forum at the OECD, emphasise that electrification of vehicle fleets is not enough to solve congestion. A modal shift is the goal for decarbonisation and economic efficiency.

The report suggests that simply switching private cars to electric power helps with climate goals, but this change is too slow and doesn't solve the major problem of urban traffic jams. Therefore, the core of any successful decarbonisation plan must be shifting people away from driving and toward using public transit.

The OECD report identifies a global funding requirement of over US$2 trillion per year between 2024 and 2050 to decarbonise mobility, a significant portion of which is for public transport.

We don’t just help our customers to make their own operations more sustainable when they buy our products, we’ve been working hard on enhancing the levels of sustainability in our own operations, too.

Measures we’ve taken in this regard include;

• cutting our emissions by shipping in larger quantities;
• switching to renewable gas and electricity at our European site in the Netherlands to lower our emissions;
• and amalgamation of some of our UK premises into a larger, more sustainable site.

Our ESG reports highlight the company’s need to transition to zero emissions more swiftly. As a result, we intend to replace part of our fleet, including forklifts, with electric or hybrid vehicles. We also conduct driver training to ensure the behaviours of the company’s drivers minimise emissions.

Implementing an automated loading system removes the need for forklifts, and helps reduce your environmental impact, such as:

• Reducing truck driver waiting hours by up to 88%
• Eliminating forklift driving hours
• Eliminating forklift driving kilometres
  
  
  

What is meant by sustainable transport?

Sustainable transport refers to ways of moving people or goods that minimise environmental impact. It prioritises lower emissions, energy efficiency, and long-term resource use while still meeting mobility and logistics needs.

What are some examples of sustainable transportation?

Examples include electric vehicles, public transport, cycling, walking, rail freight, and low-emission logistics solutions such as consolidated deliveries and automated loading systems.

How can transport be more sustainable?

Transport can be made more sustainable by cutting fossil fuel use, switching to cleaner vehicles, improving route planning, reducing empty runs, and adopting automation to minimise idling and forklift movements.

What is the most sustainable form of transport?

Walking and cycling are the most sustainable options for short distances, while rail and waterways offer the lowest emissions for moving goods. For road freight, electric trucks are becoming one of the most sustainable solutions as they eliminate tailpipe emissions and can be paired with automated loading systems to reduce idling and energy use.

How do you achieve sustainable transportation in logistics?

Logistics operators can improve sustainability by optimising loads, reducing manual handling, using cleaner vehicles, investing in energy-efficient warehouses, and automating loading to cut fuel use and turnaround time.

Why is sustainable transportation important?

Sustainable transport reduces emissions, cuts operating costs, improves air quality, and supports long-term resilience in supply chains. It also helps organisations meet environmental targets and compliance requirements.